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Thursday, 16 May 2013

How Boys Learn

Many boys need opportunities to move around and like competitive situations.
by Patti Ghezzi

On the playground, it seems so obvious. Girls huddle and chat,
often using vocabulary that makes their parents shake their heads and
ask “Where did my 4th grader pick up the word ‘ebullient’?”
And
boys...well, they’re less likely to use words like “ebullient” and to
have in-depth conversations with their pals on the playground. They’re
too busy proving they can climb the fastest, jump the farthest, and
holler the loudest.
“Girls and boys,” says one parent who has a couple of each, “they’re just so different.”
Researchers
have long been fascinated by gender differences and how they play out
in social situations, in the classroom, and in adulthood. Teachers and
parents often struggle with the challenge of having such different kids
assigned the same term paper or math test.
But do boys really
learn differently than girls? Some experts say they don’t. “There is no
difference in the nature and quality of how they learn,” says Judith
Preissle, an education professor at the University of Georgia who has
studied gender and education. “We’re not different species.”
But that doesn’t mean boys and girls are the same.
There
is evidence that boys differ from girls in some key ways: They mature
at a slightly slower pace, and they are better at spatial visualization.
That’s not to say many girls aren’t good at reading maps or
constructing elaborate three-dimensional projects. But on average, boys
have the edge in these areas.
Another key difference is that boys
need to move around more. Girls are often able to sit still longer and
to stay more focused during a traditional lesson, a possible explanation
for why girls are enjoying more academic success than boys. Boys are
more likely to fidget in class and need frequent stretch breaks. Boys
don’t just enjoy recess, they crave it. “If you want to help your boys,
give them lots of opportunity to run around,” Preissle says.
Penmanship
is also an area of contrast. “Boys just struggle with pencils,”
Preissle says. Their fine motor skills will eventually catch up, but
until that happens it can be difficult for boys to write neatly. Messy
handwriting is often mistaken for laziness or carelessness.
Generally
speaking, boys crave competition and the possibility of winning whereas
girls are better at cooperation. Preissle recommends exposing both
girls and boys to opportunities to compete and cooperate. That way, kids
get to do what they enjoy and also have a chance to improve in areas
that don’t come naturally.
Many experts, including Preissle, warn
against putting too much stock in gender differences for fear parents
and teachers will inadvertently reinforce stereotypes.
“Kids rise
to our expectations,” says Lise Eliot, an associate professor of
neuroscience at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
in Chicago. Eliot is working on a book about gender differences, and
she urges parents and teachers to be sensitive to individual differences
without letting the expectation that boys will struggle in a
traditional classroom become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Experts
disagree over whether differences between boys and girls are biological
or taught. Eliot notes that while little boys gravitate to balls and
little girls reach for dolls, as girls get older they grow comfortable
with trucks and action figures. Boys, however, don’t usually outgrow
their aversion to girl-themed toys, leading Eliot to suspect nurture
over nature.
In her years of research, the only biological
difference she has seen between boys’ and girls’ brains is their average
size. Boys tend to have bigger brains, but they also tend to have
bigger kidneys and other organs, she notes. They’re just bigger kids. “I
don’t get too excited about bigger brains,” Eliot says, adding that
girls’ brains grow faster.
For parents, the possible reasons for
gender differences aren’t as important as how they respond to those
differences. Eliot recommends exposing all children, regardless of
gender, to toys and activities that encourage literacy and math. “Expect
boys to read,” she says.
Many parents and educators are concerned
about boys sliding down the educational achievement ladder while girls
leapfrog over them. As girls make gains in society, does it have to be
at the cost of boys’ academic achievement? Eliot suggests paying
attention to boys’ need to release energy on a playground, at the ball
field, or in the backyard. She also advises exposing boys to musical
instruments, fine arts, foreign languages, and other interests more
often associated with girls.
Perhaps easiest of all, parents can
help boys by exposing them to girls. “Boys who hang around with girls
are better able to read emotions,” explains Eliot, adding that girls can
learn from boys how to stand up for themselves and embrace competition.
“The two genders have much to learn from each other.” That gives both
boys and girls reason to be ebullient.For more on the differences in how children learn best, read “How Girls Learn”

Journalist
Patti Ghezzi covered education and schools for 10 years for the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. She lives in Avondale Estates, Ga., with her
family, which includes husband Jason, daughter Celia, and geriatric mutt
Albany.